Eva Mendes claims she was not a "great actress" and implies she would only return to work with Ryan Gosling

Eva Mendes has set a single condition for her Hollywood return. She told The Sunday Times in an article published on Thursday, October 17, 2024, that she would only consider returning to acting if the role is alongside her husband, Ryan Gosling.

Mendes worked in several movies in her prime, including the hits Hitch in 2005 and The Other Guys in 2010. In 2011, she met Gosling on the set of the crime drama The Place Beyond the Pines, where they played love interests Romina and Luke. Their onscreen chemistry translated into real life, and they have been inseparable since.

They would collaborate again in the 2014 fantasy thriller Lost River, which Gosling wrote, directed, and produced. However, that is the last time fans saw Eva Mendes onscreen as she decided to step away from Hollywood then.She had her first child with the La La Land actor that same year.

In her recent interview with The Sunday Times, Mendes reflected on her acting career, saying:

"I was never in love with acting. I don't mean this in a self-deprecating way, but I wasn't a great actress. I had my moments when I worked with really great people."

She explained that working on the two films with Gosling was some of her "proudest," adding that her actor husband "gets something out of [her]" that was never accessible before. After opening up about feeling typecast throughout her decade-long career, Mendes implied that she would likely return to Hollywood if the project involves Ryan Gosling in some way. She said:

"That's the one thing I would love to do."

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Eva Mendes says she sometimes gives acting coaching to Ryan Gosling

Eva Mendes might not consider herself a great actress, but she sometimes switches to the role of acting coach to Ryan Gosling. Elsewhere in her interview with The Sunday Times, the actress recalled the time when she gave some acting tips to her husband, who is going to play Ken opposite Margot Robbie's Barbie. She said:

"I would simplify everything. I'm like, 'Just make Barbie notice you, that's what Ken is all about.' So then there was this desperation. He really loved that. I'd remind him, as he's literally walking out the door, 'Make Barbie notice you, make Barbie fall in love with you.'"

It turns out that Mendes' acting coach job was very much appreciated by her husband. Ryan Gosling sang his partner's praises during an interview with Extra in April 2024 on the red carpet of his film The Fall Guy's premiere in Los Angeles. He was solo on the red carpet, saying that Eva Mendes was at home with their girls and that he "couldn't be here without her." He also gushed about Mendes giving him acting tips, saying:

"[She has] become the best acting coach I have ever had. It's endless how much she helps me."

Besides Mendes' acting tips for Barbie, Gosling said that his wife had one request when he filmed for The Fall Guy, where he plays a stuntman. Mendes and their kids allowed him to "do a stunt movie," but they requested him to avoid stunts that involved fire.

As for Eva Mendes, after she left Hollywood, besides giving acting lessons to Ryan Gosling, she founded a cleaning company, did voice work for the Bluey TV series, and released the children's book Desi, Mami, and the Never-Ending Worries.